“Why do they care what clubs we have anyway?” Ravenna asked.
“They want to ensure botanists are using their timeeffectively,” Callan said. “It’s all part of the goal to get us into positions of more influencein society.”
“Not everyone wants to run a government department or be CEO of a scientific start-up,” Ravenna said.
“So, it’s back to Briar’s question,” Laurus said. “What should we do?”
“Is there a handbook for the school where we could point to the allowance of student-hosted clubs?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t letting on how ignorant I was of the structure of the school.
“Nothing in writing. The instructors have always been given wide latitude to approve clubs. Until now,” Meadow said.
“I have theRecipes for Deceptionbook I acquired for initiation. Maybe we could influence whoever comes to review the evidence?” Laurus suggested.
“Not a bad idea, though it’s a temporary solution,” Ravenna said.
I could tell Callan was holding his opinion back, waiting to hear what the rest of us had to say. When all of us turned to him, he finally spoke. “We could try to fight this, and I’ll go along with whatever the group decides, but there could be some value in leaving it be.”
Meadow narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“This is clear evidence of overreach. It’s probably going to upset a lot of students, especially if their clubs aren’t approved. Students will share their frustrations with their families. This may spread awareness of what’s going on here and mobilize even more people against what the Board of Regents is doing.”
We all sat silently for a moment, considering his words.
“You’re suggesting that we give the board a small win now so that when the time comes for a bigger fight, people will be primed for it?” I asked, piecing together what Callan was envisioning.
Callan nodded slowly. “An illusion of a win, at least. Hopefully, all the clubs will put together strong evidence and be allowed to continue. We can show our cards early, or we can hold out until we have even more power.” His eyes darted to me.
“TheVanished Compendium?” Laurus asked.
We had filled in the rest of the Root and Vine Society about our idea to attempt to have me use the quill as a compass to the missing book.
Callan nodded again. “In fact, I have an update on that.”
The treehouse was completely silent except for the soft rushing of the wind outside and Laurus’s rolling of a pencil along his pant leg.
“I’ve been tracking the location of the quill that is said to be linked to theVanished Compendium. It is currently part of a traveling exhibit. The display was in Australia most recently, but it is headed to the United States next.” Callan eyed me meaningfully.
So he had been waiting for the quill to come to us before making any further moves. That explained why things had been quiet since we’d discussed the theory about me being able to access the quill.
“Do you know where in the United States?” Laurus asked.
“Not yet, but it is scheduled to depart Australia before the end of the year. I should have more intel very soon.”
My heart was thundering. The end of the year was weeks away. Were we that close to making our attempt at getting the quill?
Meadow spoke up first. “Then I think we go with your plan, Rhodes. We leave this alone, for now, and keep our focus on getting the quill. If the quill works for Briar and can point us to the book, we’ll have much more leverage for whatever comes next.”
Each person in the group nodded in turn.
Callan rose. “Then we have a plan.”
Chapter Forty-Two
“Who’s up for wreath making before the gingerbread house competition?” Yasmin asked as the four of us finished dinner in the tearoom three weeks later. Nearly everyone was eating inside now that the winter chill had fully set in. The courtyard connected to the tearoom was empty except for a few birds scavenging for morsels.
“I’m in,” I said, and Coral and Aurielle both agreed. The winter solstice had completely snuck up on me, as it seemed to have a habit of doing.
I had been so busy the past month—with Evergreen Academy classes, field studies with Petra, my SCC coursework, and waiting impatiently for next steps on how we would get access to the quill for the Root and Vine Society—that a whole set of classes coming to an end was a bit of a shock. I wasn’t ready for a break from my time here. I wanted to keep going at full steam ahead.
